Teaming up for healthier lifestyles

Maddie McDowell pours apples into a container in preparing to make smoothies, with the help of Paige Tobin (left) and Sophia Ramirez (right) at Cheney Parks and Recreation Department’s Camp ECHO in August.

In the battle with obesity, it’s not just junk food alone that’s the enemy.

It’s also a culture that says if it’s healthy, it can’t taste good. It’s fighting an attitude.

In this fight, the Cheney School District may be seeing the lines of battle shifting in favor of students and families, thanks to steps taken by the district and city of Cheney that promote new attitudes towards eating as well as practices.

According to recently released results of a two-year study of 476 students in the district, “the percentage of students classified as overweight/obese has improved over t...